Small Favours
by Tom O'Bedlam
Summary: A small girl hides from bullies in the castle garden.


_**A/N** I wrote this awhile ago, just after watching Edward Scissorhands for the first time. I still like it, strangely enough. I own nothing but Amita, and since she introduced herself reasonably fully formed, I'm not sure owned is the right term._

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When Amita was sent to the foster family in the suburbs she tried to fit in. She really did. She smiled until her cheeks were sore, and her eyes ached with not crying. She smiled when Crystal pinched her, and she smiled desperately when Harry teased her and pulled her long, black braids. When Mrs. James, who she was to call Auntie Sarah, asked how school was, Amita smiled. Auntie Sarah was kind. By far the kindest person who had looked after Amita since her parents left. And Auntie Sarah clearly thought Amita should enjoy school. It was fine, really, Amita knew. The other children's teasing was bearable, provided she didn't try to talk to them. And Auntie Sarah had a huge library. Most of the books were too big and dull for Amita's six-year-old taste, but she loved to curl up on the big rag rug and breathe in the smell of dusty silence.

And then Aunt Sarah decided Amita should make friends. She sent Amita to school with instructions to go play with her friends. So Amita didn't dare go home after school. Auntie Sarah must never know that she had no friends. After school, Amita went out to the playground to sit there. But Harry and Nick and Jason and David were there. Amita tried to disappear, but Nick saw her. "Look! It's the stupid foster kid."

In moments they surrounded her, laughing and shoving. "Why are you here?" "My mother says your father's in jail." "My father says you should have never been let into the country." "Yeah, you foreigners take our jobs, my brother says." "Say 'running'." "You talk funny." "You look funny." "You are funny." Amita stood at the center of the group, trying to let the cruel laughter role off her, trying to keep smiling. But she was going to cry soon. Very soon. Too soon. Desperate to get away, Amita shoved David out of the way and ran.

"Hey! She shoved David."

"She thinks she can push us."

"Stupid brat."

"Chase her!"

Amita could hear them behind her. They were all taller and they were catching up. She reach the end of Elm Street, and tripped as she turn the corner. Before her scraped knee could even begin to hurt she was up and off again, running down South Street. They were gaining on her. Amita gazed desperately at the houses, with their wide open lawns and neat windows and no where to hide. Finally, her eyes lighted on the old house at the top of the mountain. Surely there was somewhere to hide there, in the ruined building or the overgrown orchards, she thought. The gate was closed and locked, but the bars were wide enough for a little girl like Amita to slip through. She kept running until she collapsed, out of breath, behind a jutting rock corner of the building. Listening, she was surprised to hear nothing but the sound of her own breathing. Surely they couldn't lose her that quickly? Getting up warily, she peaked out of her hiding place. There was no one. No people, that is. Staring about her, Amita took in the huge bushes. Dragons and dolphins and angels and everything beautiful was there, delicately built with flowers and evergreens. Awestruck, Amita walked out into the garden. She wandered aimlessly, breathing in the wonders of the sculptures. Once she noticed herself to be in view of the gates, but all the boys had gone. She lost herself in the gardens, but it didn't matter, because it was all so beautiful. When she found her way back to the gate, the sun was nearly setting. She would have to back to Auntie Sarah soon. Turning to look up at the huge, old building, with it's beautiful gardens, outlined in orange by the setting sun, an idea took hold.

"It's a magic castle," she whispered allowed, and was shocked by the sound of her voice after hours of the soft silence of the gardens. Clearing her throat she said, a little louder, "If you are a magic castle, you saved me from the boys today, so thank you. Thank you very much. If you don't mind, I'd like to come back sometime and see the rest of the gardens." That seemed almost presumptuous, though. Frowning, Amita considered what a magic castle might like in exchange. Her hand crept to her wrist, where she wore her mother's bangles, always. Pulling off one of them, she put it in the sea monster's mouth. "Here. It's not much, but it's pretty. I'll bring something better tomorrow, I promise. Thank you!"

After school the next day, Amita ran straight to the magic castle. It was still there, somewhat to her surprise. She had stayed up the night before, afraid that it would disappear, ephemeral as a dream. After a moment of entrancement by the twining roses she hadn't noticed the day before, Amita ran to the sea monster. From the gate, she dodged under the surges of its tale until she reached the mouth. And there, right where she'd left her bangle, was a single, perfect rose. Reaching out, very carefully, Amita pulled it out. It was cool to the touch as though it wasn't a real flower at all. Gently brushing the petals, Amita realized that it must be a magic rose. She wondered if, perhaps, she shouldn't take it out of the garden, but then she remembered that her bracelet was gone. She tucked it carefully in her braid, and fished the cookie she'd saved from lunch out of her bag. She placed it in the sea monster's mouth, a gift for the magic. Then, feeling as though the world was a brighter place, she skipped down the garden path to see if she'd missed any of the garden the day before.

The next day she exchanged a bright blue bead for a pebble that because translucent when she wet it. After that a paper star for the most perfect red maple leaf she had ever seen. On and on it went, gifts and little things of beauty all through a glorious autumn. Amita found she had as much fun hunting for things to leave the magic as she had for finding what it had left her. Some days, she didn't go to the magic castle until just before she was supposed to go home because she had taken her allowance (Aunt Sarah gave her an allowance!) to the stores to find something pretty for the magic. All the girls at school were exchanging braided friendship bracelets. Amita left one for the magic. The magic gave her a cut cloth snowflake. It snowed that night, the first snow of the year. After Aunt Sarah turned out the light, Amita crept out of bed and pulled back the heavy curtains. Nose pressed to the cold glass, she gazed at the sparkling snowflakes, watching how they seemed to drift downhill from the magic castle.


End file.
